Carex caryophyllea 'Beatlemania' - The Beatles Spring or Vernal Sedge

For some grasses, seeing them as small plants can cause some doubt regarding their ornamental qualities. However in time Carex caryophyllea grows into a colony of mop-head-like foliage.

This beautiful ground cover would look great on roof-top gardens or as an understory for dwarf confers or Japanese maples. For the total grassy look, try this Carex with some of the tall Molinias (arundinacea).

The difference between C. 'The Beatles' and C. 'Beatlemania' is that 'The Beatles' has solid green leaves and is slightly larger overall while 'Beatlemania' has slightly variegated yellow and green leaves. Both have recurved leaves.

Looks particularly nice on slopes and drooping over rock walls.

Description: cool season; evergreen in warmer climates; slow spreader
Foliage - dense and arching or slightly curling; green, narrow with golden yellow edges; 6" tall
Flowers - inconspicuous

Ideal conditions: light shade to full shade; moist soil

Coldest zone: 5 to 9 (find your zone; further info on plant hardiness)

Season of interest: April to winter

Partner with: hostas, Astilbe, ferns, rhododenrons, Dicentra, shady rock garden plants

Suggested uses: massed as a ground cover; rock gardens; looks particularly good on slopes; containers

Drought tolerance rating: 3 (water to root depth every week) further info

Native to: the species is native to north Europe

Recommended spacing between plants: 30cm (12") why such a difference?

Pronunciation: Carex (KAIR-ex) caryophyllea (kar-ee-oh-fil-EE-uh)

More ornamental grasses

Compare Carex caryophyllea 'Beatlemania' to our other grasses in this handy chart.